White House Announces Bold Plan to Accelerate Deployment of EV Charging Infrastructure in US

The White House announced a plan to help put more electric vehicles on the road by accelerating the deployment of electric vehicle charging infrastructure. The coalition of nearly 50 auto manufacturers, electric utilities, charging station companies, states and organizations seeks to ensure that electric vehicle drivers will have access to charging stations at home, where they work, and while traveling on the road.

Highlights from the announcement include:

Unlocking up to $4.5 billion in loan guarantees and inviting applications to support the commercial-scale deployment of innovative electric vehicle charging facilities;

Launching the FAST Act process to identify zero emission and alternative fuel corridors, including for electric vehicle charging across the country, and standing up an effort to develop a 2020 vision for a national network of electric vehicle fast charging stations that will help determine where along the corridors it makes the most sense to locate the fast charging infrastructure;

Announcing a call for state, county, and municipal governments to partner with the Federal government to procure electric vehicle fleets at a discounted value;

Leveraging the power of data and hosting an ‘Electric Vehicle Hackathon’ to discover insights and develop new solutions for electric vehicle charging;

Publishing a guide to Federal funding, financing, and technical assistance for electric vehicles and charging stations; and

35 new businesses, non-profits, universities, and utilities signing on to DOE’s Workplace Charging Challenge and committing to provide electric vehicle charging access for their workforce.

Signatories to the Guiding Principles to Promote Electric Vehicles and Charging Infrastructure include the following industry members, agencies, organizations, and states: